Connector



A. G. MEYER Sept. 5, 1967 CONNECTOR Filed July 1.9, 1965 2 p5 mg MM V5 k W a ga/f/ized/ 4770R/VE) United States Patent 3,340,498 CONNECTOR Arthur G. Meyer, Maplewood, Minn. (1889 E. County Road C, St. Paul, Minn. 55109) Filed July 19, 1965, Ser. No. 473,142 4 Claims. (Cl. 339-238) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A connector adapted for use in connecting conductors to cylindrical terminals and including a resilient lever having an end portion movable in an annular terminal receiving portion from an open position to a clamping position in which latter position the lever is held by detent means.

This invention relates to a connector and in one aspect relates to an electrical connector of the type employed for attaching a cable or the like to a post or terminal of a storage battery. However, the invention is applicable whenever the rapid attachment and removal of one member to a generally cylindrical member is desired.

Prior known connectors for use as terminal connectors have included resilient U-shape heads squeezed together by bolt and nut assemblies, expandable and retractable end portions to clamp onto the terminals or connectors with annular end portions and wedging components which are used to bind the posts or terminals within said annular end portions. This latter type of connector requires the application of considerable force to eflfect the connection and unless sufiicient force is applied the connector may rattle loose or become loosened under other accidental forces being applied thereto.

The present invention provides a readily manually attachable and removable connector and requires no significant force or numerous and special tools to effect the fastening.

The connectors of the present invention comprises a body including an annular end portion with the opening formed therein being slightly larger than the cylindrical member to be received therein and a generally tangential arm portion adapted for receiving one end of a conductor or the like. One face of the arm portion is generally planar and disposed in the plane of one end of the annular end portion and the other face is formed with a recess extending the length thereof and communicating with the central opening of the annular end portion through an aperture in the side wall thereof and said other face has detent means spaced from the recess for retaining a lever which, in one position extends along the recess, through the aperture and has an arcuate end disposed in the opening of the annular end portion and generally concentric thereto and which, in a second position is fulcrumed on the side wall of the annular end portion at the aperture and held by the detent means to resiliently maintain said arcuate end in engagement with the terminal.

This invention will be more fully understood as this description proceeds, which refers to the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURES l and 2 are plan views of the connector in the released or attaching position and the fastened or attached position respectively.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along line 33 of "FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken along line 44 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is an elevation view showing the connector in the released or attaching position.

The connector of the present invention, generally designated 5, comprises a body member 6; formed of a suitable conducting material and which, when used as a battery 3,340,498 Patented Sept. 5, 1967 terminal connector, is preferably a non-corrosive material; and a lever 7 formed of stiffiy resilient material and removably mounted on said body member 6. An insulated cable or conductor 9 may have one end suitably affixed to the conductor 5. a

The body member 6 is integral and is formed with an annular end portion 11 and an arm portion 12 to which the cable 9 is connected. The annular portion may be generally cylindrical with a central circular opening 13 slightly larger in diameter than the terminal or other generally cylindrical member to which it may be fastened. When used for connecting a conductor to a battery terminal the opening 13 may be tapered to conform generally to that of the battery terminal. An aperture 14 is formed in the cylindrical side wall of the end portion 11 and a groove 16 is formed in the inner peripheral wall of end portion 11 which communicates at one end with the aperture 14 and which groove extends arcuately around the inner peripheral wall a distance slightly greater than half the circumference of the center opening 13 as shown in FIGURES land 2.

The arm portion 12 extends outwardly from the cylindrical wall of the end portion 11 and has a width corresponding to the axial length of the wall of said end portion 11. The arm portion 12 has one side wall 17 which is tangential with the outer peripheral surface of the end portion 11 and a second side wall 18 which is spaced from g the side wall 17 a distance slightly greater than the radius of the outer peripheral side Wall of the end portion 11. The arm portion has one planar face 21 (see FIGURE 2) disposed in a plane corresponding generally to one end of the annular end portion and another face 22 formed with a pair of grooves or recesses 23 and 24. The groove 23 extends the length of the arm portion 12 and communicates at one end through the aperture 14 with the center opening 13. The second groove 24 is oblique to the groove 23 and communicates with groove 23 and the center opening 13 at the aperture 14. The groove 23 is inclined slightly from the aperture 14 toward the free end of the arm 12 to afford space for attachment of the conductor 9 to the free end of said arm portion. The groove 24 is also inclined slightly and terminates in the side wall 18. The angularly disposed grooves 23 and 24 thus define therebetween a detent or retaining means 25 adjacent the edge joining the face 22 and side wall 18 which detent means is generally right-triangularly shaped in plan view as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 with the hypotenuse of the triangle defining one edge of the groove 24, one leg defining an edge of the groove 23 and the second leg being disposed in the plane of the free end of the arm portion 12. The portion of the detent 25 defining an edge of the groove 24 is arcuate to define a lever retaining shoulder 26.

The lever 7 comprises a lever arm portion 27 and an arcuate terminal or cylindrical member engaging end portion 28. The arcuate end portion 28, is normally disposed in the groove 16 leaving the central opening 13 of the connector 5 clear for the insertion of a battery terminal or other generally cylindrical member. After insertion of or the placement of the connector 5 over a terminal the connector is locked to securely retain the connector to the terminal. This locking is accomplished by pulling the end of lever arm portion 27 from the groove 23 past the detent means 25 and fulcrurning the lever 7 about an edge of the aperture 14 to resiliently force the arcuate end portion 28 into engagement wit-h the terminal. When the arm portion 7 is drawn toward the groove 24 it is allowed to spring into engagement with the retaining shoulder 26 of the detent means 25 where it is held fast. The fiexure of the lever 7 maintains the arcuate end portion 28 thereof tightly in engagement with the terminal. The retaining shoulder 26 of detent means 25 prevents the lever 7 from becoming loosened by rattling or accidental forces which may be applied to the connector.

The lever 7 preferably has sufficient stiffness to require use of the blade of a screw driver, spoon handle or other available blade to effect the fastening, but yet the lever is not so stiff that the fastening may not be accomplished by the strong fingers of most mechanics without the need of any tools.

Having thus defined the present invention by reference to a preferred embodiment of the same, it is to be understood that certain changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. A connector adapted for use with a conductor to aiford easy attachment and removal thereof to a generally cylindrical member, said connector comprising a body member having an annular end portion having a center opening defined by a circular Wall adapted to receive a said cylindrical member and an outwardly extending arm portion joined integrally to the wall of said annular end portion, said circular Wall having an aperture formed therein and said arm portion having a face at least a portion of which communicates with the center opening of said annular end portion through said aperture in the circular wall of said annular end portion and detent means formed on said face, and lever means including an arm portion extending along said face into said center opening and an arcuate end portion disposed within said center opening, said lever means being fulcrumed on said circular wall in said aperture to a position where the arm portion is engaged by said detent means to resiliently urge and hold said arcuate end portion against a said cylindrical member in said center opening to retain the same on said cylindrical member.

2. A connector adapted or use with a conductor to afford easy attachment and removal thereof to a generally cylindrical member, said connector comprising a body member and a shiftable resilient lever, said body member having an annular end portion having a center opening defined by a thick circular wall adapted to receive therein a said cylindrical member and an outwardly extending arm portion joined integrally to the wall of said annular end portion, said circular wall having an aperture formed therein adjacent the area of juncture between said wall and said arm portion and having a circumferentially extending groove formed in the inner wall surface which begins at said aperture, said lever being for-med with an elongate lever arm and an arcuate end portion, said lever having said arcuate portion disposed within said center opening and said lever arm extending through said aperture, means on said arm portion defining a first position for said lever arm to position said arcuate portion within said groove formed in said circular wall and detent means on said arm portion in spaced relation from said annular end portion for holding said lever arm in a second position to bias said arcuate portion radially of said center opening in a direction out of said groove for resiliently urging a said cylindrical member against the opposed surface of the circular wall of said annular end portion to retain the same in said center opening.

3. A connector adapted for use with a conductor to 4 tending arm portion joined integrally to the wall of said annular end portion, said circular Wall having an aperture formed therein, the axis of which is generally tangential to said center opening and said arm portion having one side wall tangential to the outer surface of said annular end portion and being formed with an opening to receive a conductor and having a face at least, a portion of which face communicates with the center opening of said annular end portion through said aperture in the circular wall of said annular end portion, detent means formed on said face near the outer end of said arm portion and spaced from said aperture, said detent means having an arcuate v shoulder positioned in spaced relation to said one side wall of said arm portion and offset from the axis of said aperture, and lever means including an arm portion extending along said face into said center opening and an arcuate end portion disposed Within said center opening, said lever being fulcrumed on said circular wall at said aperture to a position in engagement with said shoulder of said detent means to resiliently urge and hold said arcuate end portion against a said cylindrical member in said center.

opening to secure the connector on said cylindrical 1 member.

4. A battery terminal connector adapted for use with having an annular end portion having a center opening deafford easy attachment and removal thereof to a generally cylindrical member, said connector comprising a body member having an annular end portion and having a center opening defined by a circular Wall and adapted to receive a said cylindrical member and an outwardly exfined by a circular wall adapted to receive a said cylindrical member and an outwardly extending arm portion joined integrally to the Wall of said annular end portion, said circular wall having an aperture formed therein adjacent the area of juncture between said Wall and said arm portion, said arm portion being formed with a groove extending generally parallel to said arm portion and communicating at one end with said aperture and with said center opening and a second groove oblique to said first groove and communicating with said first groove and said aperture, a portion of said arm disposed between said grooves and positioned adjacent the outer end of said arm forming detent means one wall of which forms a portion of said second groove, said lever being formed with an elongate lever arm adapted to extend through said ape-rture along said grooves and beyond the end of said arm portion of said body member and being formed with an arcuate opposite end portion, said arcuate portion of said lever being disposed within a groove formed in saidannular end portion and communicatingwith said center opening when said lever arm extends along said first groove and when said connector is adapted to be positioned on a said battery terminal, and said lever arm being fulcrumed in said aperture to a position in said second groove engaging said detent means to bias said arcuate portion radially of said center opening in a direction to decrease the diametrical dimension of said center opening to resiliently urge said battery terminal against said wall of said annular end portion when the connector is retained on said battery terminal.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,067,195 1/1937 Knapp et a1. 339-235 2,428,631 10/1947 Millette 3399l X MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

Wv DONALD MILLER, Examiner. 

1. A CONNECTOR ADAPTED FOR USE WITH A CONDUCTOR TO AFFORD EASY ATTACHMENT AND REMOVAL THEREOF TO A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL MEMBER, SAID CONNECTOR COMPRISING A BODY MEMBER HAVING AN ANNULAR END PORTION HAVING A CENTER OPENING DEFINED BY A CIRCULAR WALL ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER AND AN OUTWARDLY EXTENDING ARM PORTION JOINED INTEGRALLY TO THE WALL OF SAID ANNULAR END PORTION, SAID CIRCULAR WALL HAVING AN APERTURE FORMED THEREIN AND SAID ARM PORTION HAVING A FACE AT LEAST A PORTION OF WHICH COMMUNICATES WITH THE CENTER OPENING OF SAID ANNULAR END PORTION THROUGH SAID APERTURE IN THE CIRCULAR WALL OF SAID ANNULAR END PORTION AND DETENT MEANS FORMED ON SAID FACE, AND LEVER MEANS INCLUDING AN ARM PORTION EXTENDING ALONG SAID FACE INTO SAID CENTER OPENING AND AN ARCUATE END PORTION DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CENTER OPENING, SAID LEVER MEANS BEING FULCRUMED ON SAID CIRCULAR WALL IN SAID APERTURE TO A POSITION WHERE THE ARM PORTION IS ENGAGED BY SAID DETENT MEANS TO RESILIENTLY URGE AND HOLD SAID ARCUATE END PORTION AGAINST A SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER IN SAID CENTER OPENING TO RETAIN THE SAME ON SAID CYLINDRICAL MEMBER. 